Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 6:41 AM
Subject: CfP : Far from Jihad. Combatants of Muslim origin in European Armies
in the 20th Century, Paris, 22-23 May 2014
Call for paper : “Far from Jihad. Combatants of Muslim origin in European
armies in the 20th century”, conference, Paris, 22-23 May 2014
Organisers: Xavier Bougarel (CETOBAC / EHESS), Raphaëlle Branche (CHS /
University of Paris I), Cloé Drieu (CETOBAC / EHESS)
Deadline for applications: 20 September 2013
During the two world wars and colonial wars of the 20th century, a large
number of non-European soldiers fought in the ranks of the various European
armies. This participation involved the armed forces of Great Britain,
France, the Netherlands, Russia then the USSR, and to a lesser extent,
Germany, Italy and Spain. A majority of these non-European combatants were
Muslims. Why would Muslims, mainly from colonised societies, fight in
European armies? How did such soldiers understand their experience of war in
Europe? How did the military community itself, as well as European
civilians, view such combatants? In the past few decades, studies of war
have undergone a substantial renewal, with greater emphasis on the social
and cultural dimensions of war, and on combatants’ experiences and
viewpoints. Likewise, the question of empires (whether colonial or not) has
enjoyed renewed interest, and the imperial dimensions of 20th century
European history have been highlighted more. However, questions related
specifically to combatants of Muslim origin have received little attention
to date.
In this context, the conference will be aimed at better assessing the
significance and the diversity of Muslim combatants’ participation in the
major conflicts of 20th century European history. The combatants’ viewpoint
will be emphasised as much as possible, alongside the viewpoint of
administrations and the military hierarchy. The enquiry into how the Muslim
religion did or did not influence the outcome for combatants of Muslim
origin may be developed around five major themes:
-Representations of Islam: Did political and military authorities use
religious criteria in their recruitment and troop assignment policies? How
did these same authorities view religious practices? Did their war
propaganda refer to Islam? Did combatants see themselves chiefly as Muslims?
The enquiry can also focus on non-religious combatants of Muslim origin.
-Management of the cultural diversity of combatants: How did military
authorities manage religious and linguistic differences? Did they attempt to
lessen these differences or to accentuate them? Did their policies support,
combat or show indifference to religion? How did these policies evolve over
the 20th century?
-Wartime practices of Islam: Were Muslim combatants religious? Did war
result in increased religious faith? How were the main religious rituals
respected (burials, dietary restrictions, religious holidays, etc.)? Who
held religious authority in an official or non-official capacity?
-Religious and non-religious intermediaries: Did Muslim religious
authorities play a role in recruiting soldiers? Which specific
intermediaries supervised Muslim combatants (interpreters, sub-officers or
non-commissioned officers, imams, etc.)? What was the basis for their
authority?
-The role of Islam in showing loyalty or resistance: Did loyalty, as a major
subject of concern for armies, find one of its sources in Islam? How did
Islam mingle with imperial awareness, tribal and local solidarities, esprit
de corps, primary group solidarity, and other factors of cohesion and
loyalty? Were forms of resistance to mobilisation, engagement or combat
motivated by religious reasons?
This conference is open to all social science researchers, and will be held
in English.
Applications should be sent in English or French to the following email
address: farfromjihad@gmail.com. They should include a 500-word summary
specifying the sources used, as well as a brief curriculum vitae. The
deadline for receiving applications is 20 September 2013, and responses will
be given around 30 October 2013.
--